KENT COUNTY – Sheriff's detectives have arrested two suspects in thefts at open houses when real-estate agents are showing houses for sale.

Matthew Donald VanHouten, 26, is charged with first-degree home invasion and larceny in a building. Jeffrey David Burdick, 31, is charged with larceny in a building and two counts of uttering and publishing.

Police continue to investigate to determine if the two were the only ones allegedly behind a rash of thefts during open houses, Undersheriff Jon Hess said. Realtors have reported stolen items ranging from electronics to prescription drugs.

The first such incident occurred Oct. 29 in Grandville when a Wii game, a bottle of Vicodin and watch turned up missing.

Hess said police executed two search warrants and recovered stolen property. Police will contact victims so that they can identify their property. Police said the suspects have acknowledged other crimes, including business burglaries.

Hess said that a sharp-eyed corrections deputy helped crack the case. Police had a surveillance photo of Burdick but could not identify him until they put posters up in the Kent County Jail in hopes that an inmate would recognize him.

Instead, a deputy in the jail recognized him, and noted a distinctive tattoo on his neck.